Flower sellers by dawn, burglars by dusk - the anatomy of a murder

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Three held for murder of watchman at Peerkankaranai in May 2011

They were flowers sellers near the Tambaram bus terminus during the day; but by dusk they were burglars who committed murder for cash and gold. The three men who allegedly murdered a 56-year-old watchman on May 27, 2011 have been finally nabbed by Central Crime Branch's Homicide Special Investigation. This is the first case to be cracked by the team since its formation in January 2012.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday at the office of the Commissioner of Police in Egmore, Additional Commissioner (L&O) P. Thamarai Kannan revealed that the special team arrested Maran alias Duraisami (30) of Puduchery, Murali Krishnan (27) of Vellore and Arumugam (22) of Kancheepuram in connection with the murder of watchman Ayyadurai in Peerkankaranai. His highly decomposed body was found two days later.

The killing took place when Ayyadurai was guarding the house of headmaster Chandrasekaran on Tholkappier Street, Srinivasa Nagar after the latter and his family members went out of town . Peerkankaranai police registered a case but investigators couldn't find a breakthrough. Therefore, the case was transferred to the special team in February.

“Our team had only a few leads like five fingerprints lifted from the crime scene, some photographs and modus operandi of smearing chilly powder after burglary. We questioned more than 70 suspects including those lodged in prisons and went to five States to get the crucial lead,” said Jude Durai Pandian, Assistant Commissioner, Homicide Special Investigation Team.

After more than 90 days into the probe, the special team stumbled upon a series of burglaries in Puducherry, where the modus operandi was similar. The key suspect was Maran, who was tracked to a flower stall near the Tamabaram bus terminus.

The interrogation of Maran revealed that he and his accomplices Murali Krishnan and Arumugam would go to houses in Tambaram and adjoining areas to deliver flowers. After identifying houses where the residents were out of town, they would strike in the night.

On May 17, they tried to break into the house of Chandrasekaran. Ayyadurai tried to stop the trio who strangled him to death.

What a shame you, sinful offenders, being the human kind you had miserably failed to learn the noble lesson from the flowers, which you were found selling, as to how they self-lessly shed the ever-sought fragrance but you only sins ?